Marijuana: The Real Reason Peyton Manning Came To Denver?

Peter King recently sat down with Peyton Manning for an interview in Sports Illustrated’s MMQB and decidedly wanted to question the Bronco’s quarterback on some topics that he hadn’t been asked before … ever. Of the ten questions, King admits that only six ended up meeting that threshold. And of those six, one uncovered an interesting storyline about Manning’s side business — 21 Papa John’s pizza chain stores that he owns in Colorado. The questions started off simple enough, but as you can see below, rounded out with Manning all but saying that legalized marijuana is helping his pizza chains thrive (though I wonder what the NFL would have to say about his profit scheme). Check out the portion in question:

The MMQB: Do you vote?

MANNING: Yeah, I do vote. I have voted ever since I’ve been eligible to vote. It’s not a simple process when you go in there. There’s always a little more that goes along with it. In Indianapolis, there’s a Jewish Community Center right near my house, and so… Yeah, I don’t do it just to do it. You try to know who you’re voting for. I was good friends with the Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, who’s now the president of Purdue. Probably could have been President of the United States. You try to get to know them. I’ve gotten to know some of the folks here in Colorado. There’s some different laws out here in Colorado. Pizza business is pretty good out here, believe it or not, due to some recent law changes. So when you come to a different place, you’ve kind of got to learn everything that comes with it.

So Mr. Manning — to that we say: You’re welcome. And to all the hungry stoners out there, fear not, because Peyton Manning is on a mission to feed you. Munch away friends!